Anyone else here read Brandon's other books? They're quite good. I'm starting to wonder what would happen if two magic users from different settings were to interact. What do you think is the most powerful of the magic systems? Is there a relationship between BioChromatic Breath and Hemalurgy? What happens when you spike a Returned? Or an Elantrian for that matter?

By the way, I just got the Way of Kings. The thing is apparently 3 miles thick. It looks wicked pretty though... I'll probably start a spoiler thread about it when I'm done with it...

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When all your problems are nails, all your tools start looking like hammers.

(I see I must acquire Mr. Sandersons' other works, as I have merely read the Mistborn trilogy.)

A brief description, for those who haven't read Elantris or Warbreaker:

In Elantris, some people are taken by the Sheod (change), they become Elantrians. The Elantrians, at the height of their power, could perform magic by drawing runes of varying complexity in the air (or carving in stone, or writing on paper, really). The more specific the effect you wanted, the more complicated the rune.

In Warbreaker, people can use Breaths to Awaken objects. Everybody is born with one Breath, and you usually acquire more by paying other people to give you theirs. The more human looking the thing you're Awakening, the less Breaths it takes to Awaken it. When you Awaken something, you have to give it a command, (usually something simple like "grab things") and it will perform that command to the best of its abilities. A human corpse can be Awakened with a single Breath, making a Lifeless (think more flesh golem than zombie). Lifeless can be given codes and whatnot to 'reprogram' them, unlike other Awakened things.If you have a certain number of Breaths you achieve a Heightening. The first few are things like perfect pitch and the ability to discern perfect hues of color, I don't recall what the higher ones do. Hightenings tend to require a LOT (as in hundreds) of Breaths.Also in Warbreaker exist the Returned, people that die and come back with godlike stature and physique. They die if they aren't given a new Breath every week. The Returned have the Fourth or Fifth (I can't recall) Heightening, even though they only have one Breath.

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When all your problems are nails, all your tools start looking like hammers.

The good thing about Sanderson books is that usually there's a chapter at the end where he gives structure to the magic system.

In case you haven't read the books and still want to be surprised....

Quote from: Warbreaker

As explained in the bookThere're four Types of BioChomatic entities.Type One are the Returned, (5000 breaths), that seem to be a Natural manifestation of BioChromaType Two are the Lifeless, that use from one to a hundred breaths, depending on the commands you use. This breaths are lost.Type Three are the objects awakened by breath users. The more similar to a living thing the less breath they use. The good thingis that you can get your breaths back when you're finished with the object.Type 4 are the inanimate objects given sentience thanks to breath investment. They're very rare, and very powerful. If i remember correctly, you can only give them one command, and you have to be very careful with it. They become sentience, but don't think like a human, and their interpretation of the command can affect thei behaviour...

In way of kings it seems that the first magic showed is based in a kind of magic energy that can be invested in objects, like power cells, and in people that can harness naturally that force an use it to become faster, stronger, and change gravity laws, "lashing" themselves to the walls or ceilings, or other objects, making them move. The first scene is really complicated and an impressive show of the magic...

In a way it seems like Elantris, Warbreaker and WoK share the element of an indetermined "Force" that feeds each magic system, and the different casters use that energy for different effects.